


Blankets

by WindwiseWords



Series: Xenogen City [7]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Comfort, Consent, Couch Cuddles, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Nervousness, Paranoia, Realization, Romantic Fluff, fear of storms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-23 11:48:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8326735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindwiseWords/pseuds/WindwiseWords
Summary: Red Alert hates storms, but he has a new blanket to keep him safe from the thunder and rain. A very introspective and retrospective story. Inferno and Red Alert discovering their differences developed, and how to deal with mostly Red Alert's grown paranoia.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I love how this one turned out. I feel like the thoughts have a great flow and it shows a lot of insight into what exactly is going on with these two. It also shows exactly how gentle Inferno has to be with his little Red, as opposed to his usual gung-ho attitude. Perhaps its a bit out of character but lets be honest... Who acts exactly like their usual self when your lover..? Partner? Partner (lets go with that) is freaking the frag out.

A rainy, soggy, wet afternoon that made Red Alert feel cold. Or he would have felt cold, and would have been bundled in many blankets to stave off the lonely frost that settled around his apartment when the rain fell.

But today he wrapped himself in a single blanket, and leached off Inferno’s warmth. He was named for his job, but Red Alert always loved that he ran a bit warm. The thousandth soft, loving sigh filled the room as Inferno cuddled up to him.

Inferno, still in recovery, hated being uselessly trapped in the apartment. But the cage transformed to heaven whenever Red Alert was there. At first Inferno requested separate berthrooms. Apart for so long he didn’t want to impose or make awkward their situation. Inferno thought of it like a fledgling, their relationship; so eager to take off and fly but nervous to leave the comfort of the nest.

Inferno didn’t push anything, never had in the past, but a nagging jealousy settled in his spark whenever he saw the various pairs around the city. It felt weird seeing Decepticons being so lovey on each other, even if their version of ‘cuddling’ was beating the ever-living scrap out of each other. It ended in snuggles, and Red Alert explained it was normal and they would fix each other later.

A small hum from his small companion made Inferno look down and grin. Red Alert fell into recharge in his lap. Lately it seemed the security officer could _only_ sleep if curled into the side Inferno.

Rung, a lanky orange therapist that Inferno vaguely remembered hearing about before, pulled him to the side one day in his physical therapy. Red Alert’s panic attacks had grown infinitely worse over the course of war, and Rung gave explicit instruction to never touch his visor uninvited. It was a sure fire way to send Red Alert into a full blown, circuit frying anxiety. When Inferno asked if his disappearance had caused the worsening, Rung hemmed and hawed and excused himself to attend to a wrecker that was throwing Minicons around like toys outside.

“What am I going to do with you little Red?” He murmured, watching the rain fall outside. Seekers were flying about in the storm, storm-dancing as they called it, and having a grand time in the heavy gales of wind. Inferno smiled and wondered if Red Alert would ever want to go to slide down hills again on a scrap metal sheet. They ended up battered and dented from falling off so many times but it was fun to see him let go, laugh and be so free.

It occurred to him while his cage was this apartment, Red Alert’s cage was his paranoia and anxiety. Inferno tightened his arms around the sleepy Red, who stirred only a moment and nuzzled into those strong arms. Red Alert represented his driving force over the years he was separated from the Autobots, his desire to keep going. He could only return the favor by being a strong shoulder for Red to lean on.

He wanted to go lay down on his berth with Red, but resisted the urge. Inferno gave space to Red Alert after an incident where a simple brushing against him made him jump enough to break out onto the balcony and nearly fall. Cyclonus, thank Primus the grumpy purple seeker was home, managed to rush out and catch him before the limp and dazed security officer fell over too far to grab. Tailgate waddled out to assist, soothing Red Alert with a song in the old vernacular. Inferno helplessly stood by.

Red Alert was a different mech than he knew before. Oh his personality was the same, he looked a bit different but the pieces and lines and curves—he was a mech that liked shape, never failing to notice Red Alert looked good—were all there. The fear that persisted always within his everyday life grew like the algae on the Iacon Walls. At this point the officers had petitioned to just paint the slagging walls green, which Inferno thought to be a complete waste of perfectly good paint base but Red Alert seemed to like the idea so he agreed with it.

Thunder rolled in from far off, but being in the heart of the ocean the storms were much more violent than on a true shoreline. Red Alert startled and instantly armed his weapons, struggling in Inferno’s grip as if some enemy snatched him from his berth.

“Red! Red it’s me.” Inferno soothed, and instantly Red Alert calmed down and hid against him. He shook violently as another roll of thunder quaked the windows. “Why don’t you go lay in your berth. There’s no windows there.” Inferno began to stand, carrying Red Alert who didn’t refuse the offer and didn’t accept it. Deciding it to be for the best, Inferno nudged open the door to a berthroom.

Two berths made for a crowded space but Red Alert didn’t offer to share so they made due. Optimus had offered them a unit with more space, but Red Alert refused; they didn’t need more space. He barely took up any compared to Inferno.

Inferno lay Red Alert down in his berth, tucked the blanket over him and turned to go rest in his own when a strong hand latched onto his own.

“Don’t go…” Red Alert mumbled nervously. “Please.”

“Are you sure Red? I mean, after the kitchen incident…”

“Yes.” The instant answer was enough to convince Inferno; Red was rarely sure on anything except a diagnosis or if something was going to explode.

Inferno scooped Red Alert back up, blanket and all, and moved them to his berth which was larger. He situated the smaller bot before crawling around him and spooning against his back. After tucking them in with the bigger blanket on his berth he froze stiff, not wanting to touch Red in any way that made him uncomfortable or make him feel trapped.

Red Alert waited for a few minutes before wiggling back into his partner’s chest. “Wrap your arms around me? I’m not going to startle again. It’s you, Inferno.” Inferno wasted no time curling arms around Red, one under his head and one around his waist. He held him tightly, savoring the berth-snuggles. It had been so long; he forced himself to not count the years.

Red Alert stiffened slightly when Inferno’s head pressed against the top of his own. The big mech pulled away slightly, hypersensitive to Red Alert’s comfort. But Red Alert reached and pulled on his shoulder, encouraging him closer. When Inferno didn’t budge Red Alert grumbled and flipped to face him.

“I’m not weak. I can handle snuggling my partner.” Red Alert nestled under his chin, forcing the position Inferno pulled away from.

“No, you’re not weak. But I don’t want to force anything. I want you to feel safe and comfortable around me all the time, little Red.” Inferno wrapped his arms loosely around Red Alert’s back.

Again Red waited for those arms to tighten and hold him close but when that didn’t come he whined and tweaked a wire under the other’s shoulder servo. Inferno jolted and got the message, holding Red Alert against his chest.

“I am comfortable around you. Of all my night terrors and panic attacks you are never in them.” Except the ones where Inferno dies, but Red didn’t have to say that. Inferno had awoken to his name screamed out, only to hear sobs from his berthmate.

Inferno rubbed Red Alert’s back and brought one hand around to tilt his chin up. The two locked eyes. “I am never going to allow us to be separated that long. Never again, little Red. I’ll keep you safe okay? From the thunder and anything else that scares you.” Red Alert’s grip on edges of Inferno’s armor tightened.

“I know.” Red Alert whispered, stretching forward as if he was going to kiss Inferno, but then pulling back. He wanted that kiss, both of them wanted that kiss so badly, but they never had said what they were. More than just ‘friends with benefits’ and less than sparkbonds. They had never spark merged, but had touched each other’s sparks. They were everything _but_ spark bound.

“Red… Can we talk about us?” Inferno had to figure these thoughts out while Red Alert preferred to just let them simmer and stew until he forced them away. The concept of talking this out scared him, as if he’d chase Inferno away.

“I don’t want to ever lose you, Inferno.” Red’s grip was painful now but Inferno didn’t dare pull away. He was Red’s rock in a shifting world, and wouldn’t dare pull that out from under him. “I don’t want to trap you either. I’m insecure and unsure about this. About us. But I don’t want some other bot—“

“There will be no other bots, Red Alert.” Inferno stated plainly, firmly and a bit more harshly than intended but Red Alert got the point. Inferno didn’t want or need anyone else. “I’m not trapped by you. I’m here with you because I spent the last unnumbered years looking for any trace of the Autobots, any trace of _you_ , Red.” He chewed a lip, and Red Alert’s hand instinctively came up to stop him.

Inferno caught his hand and kissed his knuckles, knowing those sensitive sensors could feel every separate contact point he made with each one. Red Alert shivered a bit. “Inferno, I’m not sure what you want to be, what you want us to be. But I’d…” He trailed off, nervous and shaking but he forced his way through the day-terror of rejection. He forced his paranoia and fear away, if only for a minute. If only for Inferno. “I want to be more. Than this. I… I want us to be _us._ ”

Red Alert leaned forward again and this time Inferno moved to close the gap before he could pull away, before the anxiety could rip away this tentative courage and trust placed in his spark. Their kiss was chaste, gentle and hesitant; Red Alert was sure Inferno would pull away, and Inferno sure Red Alert would.

When neither broke the kiss, Inferno took a chance and carefully pulled Red Alert closer by the shoulders and hips, deepening their kiss. Red Alert, to his surprise, melted against him, ever-alert visor fading darker as his optics closed halfway.

Small hands wandered to curl around Inferno’s waist, and big hands kept Red Alert pinned close. There was a lazy charge to the mood, neither pursuing it but reveling in the closeness it brought in each other’s EM fields, a sort of love-caring-want-need-safety all wrapped together in a blanket of warmth.

The only blanket Red Alert would ever need from now on. The storm outside thundered and raged, but lost in the soft kisses and warm hugs the pair saw no need to pay it any mind. They had their own little shelter in each other, and that’s all they needed to weather the storm.


End file.
